Black Stripe
Métier Brewing Company

neat beer, porter with coconut, very well made, they had some cool beers going at the seattle location when we visited, this was a top contender for me, subtle on the coconut and a great base porter, ideal beer for a chilly evening, drinks robust for its modest abv, lots of roast but not just bitterness and dark depth, its cost and inviting too, impressive. close to black, creamy headed, churned up and thick and off white, expert retention. the nose here is roast first, with subtle espresso and charcoal character, a toasted warmth to the coconut part, a little richer middle malt, not real sweet even though the coconut is there, it doesnt turn into a dessert beer which i like, maybe subtle english vibes to the ferment, bready and organic to me, not overdone on the coconut either, and that is also true in the flavor where it hits a little later. some good early onset bitterness establishes itself right away, then dark chocolate and the lightly sweet macaroon part of the coconut, natural and extremely well integrated. chocolate covered in an adult way, quicker finished for being fuller feeling, some oils from the coconut extend and enhance it, smooth but quick as they go, i like the bitterness all the way through it, an almost coconut milk flavor later, really good, not overengineered, drinkable all evening. i was impressed with the beers in here, hope to visit again soon!

Sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can poured into my snifter. the beer has a date stamp of canned on 09/05/2023.
Beer pours a rich cola color and no light passes through my glass. A soft fluffy khaki colored head of 3.5 cm foams up even with a gentle pour. This foam fades slowly and leaves some scattered lattice.
Aroma is some light bakers chocolate and a bit of a chalky scent and a little grassy hop note. Unfortunately I dont get any coconut here on the nose.
First sip reveals a medium body with fine and gentle carbonation that rolls across my palate. Texture is very smooth and the beer drinks easy.
Flavor is some light roasted malt and a bit of bakers chocolate. Definitely a little bitterness , but dark chocolate bite, not hop centric. No booze hints and again no coconut. Bummer.
The beer is a decent porter, but I am not finding coconut here, which disappoints me. Id score it higher if it didnt say coconut on the can.

 

 

Poured from 16oz can into my BeerAdvocate teku. No date on the can.

Appearance: dark brown hue that shows clear and ruby-hued when held up to the light. Head is a thick finger of frothy tan foam. It looks good!

Smell: there's a balanced coconut aroma along with a little sweetness and a little bit of toasted malt character. To me, it has more of a brown-ale vibe than a porter vibe, but still, the coconut is just the right amount and is really working for me.

Taste: a lightly toasty malt character along with some notes of caramel and toffee. A bit of roastiness toward the end creates kind of a drying sensation, which works here. The coconut doesn't seem to shine through as much in the flavor as in the aroma. Again, I get more of a nut brown ale character here than a porter one. Still, it's not bad at all.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a moderate carbonation. Maybe a little thin for my taste, but not bad.

Overall: like I said, this beer works better as a brown than as a porter in my estimation. But it's perfectly drinkable -- no complaints.

16oz can (no date) poured into 14oz teku. Poured a solid black color with about 1/3 inch of tan head that moderate retention and very light lacing.

Light roast at the front of the aroma, with just very light coconut in the background. Nice base malts.

Similar on the tongue, with the roast being more prominent, and the coconut even fainter. Thr roast took on coffee-like flavors at the back of the tongue.

The body was smooth, maybe a bit lighter than typical, and had a dry finish.

Drinkability was good, would have another.

Overall, a bit of disappointment that there wasn't more coconut, but a solid and enjoyable basic Porter.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown with little light transmission in the glass, with a thin khaki head that dissipates to patches with good lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt with light char, cocoa, coconut and a hint of coffee. Flavor follows, with lightly charred dark toasted malt, cocoa, a touch of coffee and light coconut. Lingering cocoa and malt finish with more light coffee notes. Medium bodied with light creaminess. A very nicely made traditional American style porter with less coconut than I expected, but so nicely balanced overall that the flavor level is probably a good choice. Exceptional lingering aftertaste, which is not common on non-imperial porters. They nailed this one and I hope to see more brews from them in the future. It's great getting to try many of these local beers that were not widely distributed in the past.

16oz can poured in to a nonic glass. No can dating.

Look- Dark, coffee brown color. Large light khaki colored head with great retention and some nice lacing, minimal carbonation streaming visible.

Smell- Chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, light toasted nuts and lightly sweetened coconut.

Taste- Roasted malt, chocolate, cola, light coconut on the finish. Light, slightly dry bitterness in the finish.

Feel- Medium/light, with light carbonation on the tongue.

O- Very solid porter, the coconut presence isn't overpowering in the slightest and accentuates the toasted malts very well.